Electrical distribution networks are critical for the delivery of electricity to consumers and businesses from the generation and transmission systems. Such a network can include power lines, substations, transformers, and meters that are interconnected by thousands of miles of cables. Existing cable adapters that are used to fit “(one) size fits all” splice housings to different cables are well known in the art. Generally, in order to attach a cable to an electrical joint or splice it is necessary to peel back the protective layers of the cable, so that the conductor portion of the cable can be attached to the cable connector. The protective layers consist of an outer jacket, an insulation shield system (typically semi conductive and metallic), insulation, strand shield, and finally the conductor. The stripping procedure exposes the cable metallic shielding, which provides pathways for return power in the system.
Although a portion of the exposed cable is within the cable adapter, another portion of the cable is external to the connection. In most instances, this external portion of the cable can be exposed to water, dirt, and other elements that can cause the cable to degrade in quality. The exposed cable metallic shielding is particularly susceptible to moisture, due to oxidization and corrosion. Over extended periods of time the buildup of oxidation results in the degradation or total loss of the proper return circuit for the load current. As a result, electricity can be interrupted to residential and commercial areas until the cable is either repaired or replaced. Furthermore, if water is allowed to enter under the cable jacket material it will be in closer proximity to the cable primary insulation causing a more rapid degradation and eventual failure of the insulation and loss of power.
Due to the critical need for the continual operation of electrical distribution networks, such problems have not been entirely ignored in the industry. Cable jacket sleeves provide protection for the exposed cable portion between the end of the accessory (such as a cable adapter, insulating plug, etc.) and the cable jacket sleeve. Typically, cable jacket sealing sleeves are hollow cylindrical shapes and come in a pre-molded slide on, heat shrink, or cold shrinkable variety.
Pre-molded slide-on jacket sleeves require the splicer to pre-install the sleeve on the cable prior to installation of the accessory. Once the accessory is attached to the cable, a water-resilient resin or gum-like mastic and/or electrical tape is placed over the exposed portion of the cable. The jacket sleeve is then pulled over the mastic and/or electrical tape, exposed cable, and a portion of the accessory, thereby providing protection for the exposed portion of the prepared cable. Small tabs were placed on the side of slide-on jacket sleeve to assist splicers with pulling such sleeves up and down.
Heat shrink jacket sleeves are placed over the exposed portion of the cables as described above. The splicer subsequently applies heat to the connecter to shrink the sleeve around the exposed portion of the cable to create a tighter fit.
Cold shrinkable jacket sleeves are expanded and placed onto a removable core. Once the splicer has placed the cold shrinkable sleeve over the accessory and prepared cable, the core is removed and the sleeve shrinks to its original size. Due to various power cable varieties such as Jacketed Concentric Neutral (JCN), Drain wire shielded, and Tape shielded, a splicer must choose the applicable cold shrinkable jacket, thereby adding additional complexity to the process of attaching a cable to a cable adapter.
A disadvantage of using a heat or cold shrink seal is that they are designed to be permanently installed. Therefore, the process of removing a heat or cold shrink seal involves destroying the seal, generally by cutting it from the cable. As a result, the splicer may inadvertently damage the cable by cutting too deep.
An inherent problem with the multi-step process of installing pre-molded slide-on, heat shrinkable, and cold shrinkable jacket sleeves is that when an electrical distribution network is interrupted, the ability to quickly troubleshoot and repair the cause of the interruption is hampered by the complexities of the existing systems, particularly in situations where multiple sections of a cable are simultaneously damaged or compromised. Furthermore, multi-step procedures combined with the pressure for results, since electricity is interrupted to homes and businesses until the network is repaired, can lead to the improper field repair performance which could deviate from applicable field standards. As a result, an improperly repaired cable can repeatedly fail, resulting in an unreliable electrical distribution network to homes and businesses in the area.
The combination of a jacket sleeve integrated with an accessory was created to reduce the time of attaching cables to an accessory. In this known combination, the jacket sleeve is rolled over a portion of the accessory. In the field, once the splicer inserts the prepared cable into the accessory the integrated jacket sleeve is pulled over the remaining exposed wire. An example of an accessory with an integrated jacket sleeve can be found in Hughes et al. U.S. Pat. No. 7,883,356 entitled “Jacket Sleeve with Grippable Tabs for a Cable Connector.” In this particular example, tabs are introduced in the assembly to provide a gripping point for the splicer to pull the jacket sleeve over the exposed cable.
A disadvantage of current elbow adapters with the integrated jacket sleeve is that the coupling with the prepared cable is not complete until the splicer pulls the jacket sleeve over the exposed portion of the prepared cable. This can be difficult in the restricted space in which cables are installed. Even with various improvements over the years in the relevant art, such as the incorporation of tabs as presented in Hughes et al., it still remains difficult for a splicer to properly secure the jacket sleeve over the exposed cable, even after inventions have improved the size of the tabs and various ways to pull the jacket sleeve. The assembly is difficult for a myriad of reasons including the requirement of substantial force to properly form the connection which often results in various components being compromised or damaged and the restricted space such connections are generally performed.
Further, integrated jacket sleeves are composed of flexible materials that provide little to no mechanical support. Therefore, for power cables that span large distances, external mechanical supports are required to resist mechanical stress from bending the power cable where it connects with the cable adapter with integrated jacket sleeve.
Therefore, there is a need in the art for a self-supported jacket seal that does not buckle when an exposed cable is inserted into the jacket seal. Furthermore, there is a need for a jacket seal which can be utilized in restricted space whereby the seal is complete after inserting the cable, instead of requiring the user to pull the jacket seal over an exposed portion of the wire to complete the seal.
In addition, there is a need for a self-supported jacket seal that can be removed, without utilizing a cutting tool that can damage the cable. As a result, the self-support jacket seal can be reused.
Further, there is a need for a self-supported jacket seal that provides mechanical support.